An invitation to visit Beau Constantia last Monday evening to learn about new developments there was gratefully accepted. Darkness is falling at 6 pm in Cape Town at the moment, but John's camera still finds enough light to show another Constantia farm along the valley
A guitarist who played good jazz and popular music
This is neighbour farm Constantia Glen, where the wines of Beau Constantia have been made by winemaker Justin van Wyk
We entered through the Beau Constantia tasting room. The function was beneath it at the Chef's Warehouse Restaurant
Welcomed with a glass of Beau Constantia Pas de Nom MCC Bubbly
We could also enjoy glasses of the other Beau Constantia Wines. We certainly enjoyed the Aiden very much,
it is a satisfying and complex full of berry fruit blend of 49% Shiraz, 20% Petit Verdot, 18% Malbec and 13% Cabernet Sauvignon
being poured in precise measures
Early birds, we chat to Tasting Room Manager Johann Olivier
who is leaving this week to take up a new job at Diemersfontein wine estate in Wellington
Chef Patron of Chef's Warehouse at Beau Constantia, Ivor Jones
produced some really excellent canapés later on in the evening
His staff ably served the 80 invited guests
Some kale for one of the canapés
The guests begin to arrive. The restaurant does convert very well into a function venue
A guitarist who played good jazz and popular music
Not sure the amp was needed, sometimes it is difficult to hear conversation above loud music in an enclosed space like this
Pierre du Preez, owner of Beau Constantia, welcomed us and told us about some of the changes happening
and thanked winemaker Justin van Wyk for the work he has done for Beau Constantia over the years
He said a fond farewell to Wine Tasting General Manager Johann Olivier
Constantia Glen CEO Horst Prader, listening to the announcements
and Pierre du Preez announced that Megan van der Merwe is now their winemaker
She was previously Assistant Winemaker with Justin van Wyk and made her first vintage of Beau Constantia this harvest
Johann made a short speech of thanks and talked about how much he had enjoyed his time at Beau Constantia
The new Tasting Room Manageress will take over this week
Listening intently
And then Megan made her speech and told us how excited she was to be making the wines for the farm
After the announcements, the canapés started to circulate
This was our favourite dish. Seared tender strips of venison, topped with a chicken liver parfait, crisp croutons,
truffle oil and some beads of a balsamic fruit vinegar with a nice acid bite which completed a rich dish
Crisp breadcrumbed fried squares of belly of lamb on a smooth as silk celeriac purée,
a mustard sauce and topped with crisp kale
Flakes of dried bonito on top of a seared Tuna Tataki
Johann, Megan, and owners Pierre and Cecily du Preez
Canapés coming thick and fast please a happy owner
Roasted cauliflower topped with a parmesan cream, raisins and toasted pine nuts - rather Sicilian in style
Yellowtail sashimi in a Vietnamese Nuoc Cham, sauce topped with Shiso leaves and other fresh green herbs. Superb
We did not need supper after this tour de force. Chef Ivor Jones is very talented indeed
We were here for Lynne’s Birthday last year and may well repeat the process this year. This is the sort of food we love to eat
and, in a corner, some cheese platters with a selection of breads and crackers
All content © John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus
No comments:
Post a Comment